Norwich City Stun Leaders Coventry With Dramatic Comeback Win

On a chilly Monday night at Carrow Road, Norwich City delivered a performance that sent ripples through the Championship, coming from behind to defeat league leaders Coventry City 2-1 in front of a lively home crowd. The victory, which took place on January 26, 2026, not only extended Norwich’s unbeaten run against Coventry to 11 league games but also injected fresh optimism into their campaign under the stewardship of Philippe Clement.

The game began with palpable tension, as both teams knew what was at stake. Coventry, managed by Frank Lampard, arrived three points clear at the top of the table, eager to snap a five-match winless streak on the road. Norwich, meanwhile, were hovering just above the relegation zone but had found their stride in recent weeks, notching six wins from their last nine outings and fresh off a 5-0 demolition of West Brom at The Hawthorns.

From the start, Norwich looked the more confident side, with Anis Ben Slimane and Ali Ahmed linking up smartly in midfield. The Canaries dominated the early exchanges, nearly breaking the deadlock through Kellen Fisher’s cross-shot and a Jose Cordoba strike that rattled the post. Yet, for all their pressure, it was Coventry who struck first, capitalizing on a moment of chaos in the Norwich box.

In the 38th minute, Victor Torp’s shot was blocked, but Romain Esse—on loan from Crystal Palace—reacted quickest. He sidestepped Ruairi McConville and fired past Vladan Kovacevic at the near post, sending the Sky Blues’ traveling supporters into raptures. It was a blow to Norwich, who had lost all seven previous home games in which they had gone behind this season. The ghosts of those defeats seemed to linger as the halftime whistle blew, with the scoreboard reading 1-0 in Coventry’s favor.

But whatever Philippe Clement said in the dressing room clearly worked wonders. Within 34 seconds of the restart, Norwich found themselves level. Ali Ahmed, the Canadian winger who has taken the Championship by storm since arriving from Vancouver Whitecaps just three weeks ago, picked up the ball and threaded a perfect pass down the channel. Ben Slimane, brimming with confidence after his recent scoring run, slipped past Coventry keeper Carl Rushworth with a deft swivel and clipped home the equalizer, despite Jay Dasilva’s desperate attempt to clear off the line.

"I want more. I hope this creates, for everybody in the building, more hunger and more belief," Clement told BBC Radio Norfolk after the match. "I was a bit disappointed at half time, and told them, because I saw a few players at 1-0 going a little bit down—less available on the ball, less aggressive playing forwards. Their reaction was there after those five minutes and that's something we have to keep."

The game opened up as Coventry pushed to regain their lead. Fisher produced a vital sliding challenge to deny Haji Wright, while Ephron Mason-Clark’s header crashed against the bar, a reminder of the fine margins at play. At the other end, Norwich continued to probe, their confidence growing with each attack.

The breakthrough came in the 67th minute, and it was that man Ahmed again. A defensive lapse from Liam Kitching allowed Jovon Makama to pounce, and the Canaries broke with purpose. Ben Slimane surged forward, feeding substitute Papa Diallo on the right. Diallo’s low cross found Ahmed arriving late, and the winger rifled a shot high into the net—his effort taking a deflection off Bobby Thomas to wrong-foot Rushworth. That made it two goals and two assists in just three games for Ahmed, who is quickly becoming a fan favorite at Carrow Road.

"It was a huge challenge for my team, but they grasped it with both hands and did brilliantly to win the game," Clement said. "If someone had suggested this result and performance three months ago, they would probably have been laughed at. It was not a lucky win, it was well deserved. It was an excellent performance and we need it to continue to get this club where we want it to be. The players deserve to enjoy this, but it will be back to work tomorrow."

For Coventry, the defeat was a bitter pill to swallow. Lampard, whose side had recently ground out vital wins against Leicester and Millwall, was left ruing costly mistakes. "We gifted them their goals. If you do that in the Championship you lose games. If you defend sloppily and make mistakes, teams score against you," Lampard told BBC Radio CWR. "We created enough chances to score more goals but didn't. Defensive errors are a problem, something we've been good at this season."

The statistics told the story of a closely contested match. Norwich registered 16 shots to Coventry’s 15, with both sides managing five on target. Possession was nearly even—Coventry edged it with 425 passes to Norwich’s 417, and a slightly higher pass accuracy of 78.1% compared to Norwich’s 76.7%. Both teams hit the woodwork and created several dangerous moments, but it was Norwich’s sharper edge in the final third that proved decisive.

The result has significant implications for both clubs. Norwich’s third straight win pulls them four points clear of the relegation zone and signals a dramatic turnaround in fortunes. For Clement, who has made no secret of his Premier League ambitions since arriving at the club, this victory is a statement of intent. "I have the ambition to go to the Premier League with this club and the owners and sporting director have that. When I came in and asked the players some questions they all put in the questionnaire that they want to go to the Premier League so we're going to work hard for that."

Coventry, meanwhile, saw their lead at the top of the table shrink to just three points, and their wait for an away win in Norfolk goes on—stretching back to 2009. Lampard will need to rally his troops quickly as the pressure mounts in the title race, with Middlesbrough and other promotion hopefuls breathing down their necks. "It’s another disappointing away result and although there are different stories in all the games, overall we have not been playing well enough. But that’s the nature of this league and now it’s about trying to bounce back in the next one," Lampard admitted.

As the final whistle sounded, Carrow Road erupted in celebration. The Canaries had not only ended their dismal record of losing every home game after conceding first this season, but had also demonstrated the resilience and quality needed to climb the table. With Ahmed and Ben Slimane in sparkling form and Clement’s vision taking shape, Norwich fans will be daring to dream once again.

With the Championship season heating up and every point crucial, all eyes will be on how both sides respond in the coming weeks. For now, Norwich’s comeback win over Coventry stands as one of the most thrilling chapters of the campaign so far.